Trick or Treat (33 page)

‘We put her on the plane to London tomorrow,’ he said. ‘She is now someone else’s problem.’

‘I won’t go,’ she said.

‘You will,’ I replied. ‘Or Senior Constable Bray will hear all about the soul cakes. You wouldn’t like an Australian jail. It would be full of Australians. Goodbye,’ I said, suddenly so tired I couldn’t keep my eyes open. ‘We will never meet again.’

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‘And that will be too soon,’ she said wearily.

Daniel put an arm round my shoulders. Georgiana Hope closed her eyes. Outside, a car was waiting, and the witches were singing songs to the descending moon. I wanted to go home. So I went home.

I had made all my arrangements very carefully. Jason and I had scrubbed Earthly Delights throughout, using sugar soap, in case so much as a snake scale remained of our recent history. Meroe had visited with the news that Barnabas had died suddenly; a heart attack, she said.

‘In the old days,’ she told me, speaking slowly, ‘one member of the coven used to go naked, that is, ungreased, in the snow at Samhain.’

‘They’d die!’ I protested.

‘Yes,’ she agreed. ‘Of exposure. One volunteer to explain to the Goddess that we still loved her and worshipped her and needed her help.’

‘That’s sick,’ commented Jason, who had been listening. I still hadn’t sorted out when ‘sick’ was an approving comment and when it meant what I usually meant by it.

‘Better a volunteer than a sacrifice,’ Meroe told him. He took a pace backwards and fell over his mop.

‘Yes, all right, agreed,’ I said, helping my apprentice up. ‘Are you saying that Barnabas was such a volunteer?’

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‘No, I think the Goddess took him,’ said Meroe.

‘I can’t congratulate her on her choice of consorts.’

‘He won’t be a consort,’ said Meroe wolfishly. ‘He’ll be lucky if he gets to—’

‘Mop floors?’ asked my irrepressible Jason, ducking out of cuffing range.

We did not comment further. Meroe had censed the entire place, and we now had a talisman in the bakery and an angel in the shop. I had risen at three to begin the baking, and the bread was rising like a revolution. The girls had put on their prettiest frocks, Jason had clean overalls, and the Mouse Police had been given treats, that apply-between-the-shoulderblades flea treatment, and new collars. They were presently engaged in attempting to remove their bows, which Kylie had tied very securely on said collars. Blue for Heckle and green for Jekyll. Went very nicely with their black and white colour scheme. Horatio had a new royal blue collar from which the intrusive bell had been removed.

Outside in the alley the cobbles had been soused and swept free of any biological debris. The gas-fired barbecue was all fired up. The paper plates, the ketchup, the onions and the French mustard were all available. Therese Webb, in a hand-embroidered calico apron, stood behind the grill with an array of sausages. The shutters were up, the lights on, the door open, the till supplied with its float. Bread steamed on the racks. Jason’s muffins sat lightly on the glass shelves. Earthly Delights was reopening with a sausage sizzle. If only someone would come.

Daniel munched on the first beef and tomato sausage and said, ‘It’s very early yet. Have a sausage, they’re good.’

‘Not hungry,’ I replied. ‘Hello, Meroe!’

‘Blessed be,’ she said. ‘Are those leek and cheese? Cook one for me, Therese?’

‘Right you are,’ said Therese.

Around us the city was waking up. It was past All Saints Day, clean washed of ghosts. Spirits had gone back to their haunts, veils had closed. And I was back where I belonged. I hoped.

Mrs Dawson, returned from her daily walk, accepted a pork sausage with onions and bought a loaf and two muffins. The Professor liked weisswurst with mustard. Mistress Dread demanded chili. Kylie and Goss nibbled away at a lo-fat sausage which Daniel had found somewhere, and the sun came up, at last, at last, on a lot of people who wanted to buy my bread.

I was swamped. When Kepler was observed trying a sausage and not immediately spitting it out, for he was very polite, I barely had time to giggle. Therese was relieved by Daniel, who took over the barbecue and the apron, in which he looked quite chic. I barely had time for a word with Vin Wyatt.

‘Going back to Shep,’ he said. ‘That’s where I came from. Got a new job with a mate at Kentucky Fried for Eddie. Janelle’s gone to Sydney. The franchise is closing Best Fresh, so your competition is gone, Corinna. Bloke I know grows pigs. Needs a partner who can cook for all his workers. Always liked pigs,’ he said, biting into his sausage and walking away.

Muffins, cakes, slices grew legs and walked out. And the demand for sausages continued. Trudi liked the lamb and rosemary ones. So did Lucifer, once he was persuaded not to try immolation on a pyre. Cherie Holliday bought her father a ferocious chili sausage as a hangover cure. All my favourite people were supporting me and so were my customers. Mr Benson sent his PA for his usual muffins. Everyone was pleased that Earthly Delights was open again and after a while we ran out of bread and it just became a street party. Jason was

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sent to the Pandamuses’ for more food and came back with a

message.

‘Yai Yai says, did you find them? And are they punished?’

‘Yes and yes,’ I said. He ran back with the news and returned with a heavy load of Greek kebabs to grill.

In the middle of it, someone delivered me a large box of Heavenly Pleasures chocolates. With it came a note in the same hand as my other mysterious gifts:
I thought you needed a treat, and perhaps your young man needed a rival. I would be him, if I was twenty years younger. With love, Dion
. I sought out my Professor and kissed him.

When Uncle Solly strolled down the lane we were just running out of everything at last. It was past one o’clock. The shop was empty. Jason was sweeping away crumbs and wrappers and I was sitting on a chair in the bakery door, over
whelmed with joy and relief. He grinned at me.

‘All right, dollink?’

‘All right,’ I said. ‘Have a sausage, Saba?’

‘Don’t mind if I do,’ he said, indicating a chicken one. ‘You don’t need to worry,’ he told me. ‘You did the right thing, you and that Daniel of yours. A good boy, no matter what his mother says.’

‘What will happen to Georgiana?’ I asked.

‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘But she is gone now. And everything’s back to normal,
nu
?’

I looked around. The bread was sold, tomorrow’s mix was already started, the shop was clean, the business was booming, and all around were smiling faces. I had come very near to losing all the things I valued and I valued them more now that I knew how very much I would miss them. I grinned up at the man who did not come from Mossad.

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘It’s all right now.’